


5:58pm

by yanjunsdimples



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, basketball captain!yanjun, chaoze is mentioned once maybe twice, i talk about sunsets & evenings a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 13:06:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yanjunsdimples/pseuds/yanjunsdimples
Summary: zhangjing feels conflicted - yanjun talks to him under the pastel evening sky





	5:58pm

Zhangjing’s heart was pounding, his blood was rushing through his veins and he could feel droplets of sweat forming at the edge of his hairline. The crowd he stood amongst seemed to reflect his anxiety equally, and Zhangjing shifted his gaze back to the final basketball game just in time to catch a flash of colour flying up the court.

 

Yanjun, wearing their school team’s signature red jersey, had managed to execute a fast break, smoothly letting the ball reach the hoop with little resistance from their opponents. Zhangjing then directed his attention towards the scoreboard, biting his lip instinctively, nervous.

 

One minute left. The two teams were equally tied at 76 points each.

 

As the ball started moving on the court once again, Zhangjing felt Chaoze's comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be ok, have faith! Yanjun will pull through - he always does.”

 

But that was the problem. Perhaps he was being selfish, but Zhangjing knew that deep down, he didn’t want Yanjun to win, at least not this time. After befriending the taller boy in their first year of high school, Zhangjing had never missed any of Yanjun’s games, and had always made sure to be the one cheering the loudest, supporting him the hardest, encouraging him to the best of his ability. But as Zhangjing stared down at the banner in his hands, creased at the edges from being held too tightly, he couldn’t bring himself to support him wholeheartedly. Yanjun’s words from their conversation a few days ago rang in his head. 

 

“If we win I’ll go to the team dinner, but if we lose I’ll hang out with you.”

 

A shrill whistle snapped him out of his thoughts, and Zhangjing leaned over to Chaoze to ask what had happened.

 

“Number 9 fouled Yanjun, so he has two free-throws now. If he gets them in they’ll have a huge chance of winning since there’s only 20 seconds left on the clock.”

 

As the players on court positioned themselves for the free-throws, Yanjun turned towards the crowd, searching for a certain face. His eyes didn’t take long to meet Zhangjing’s and he immediately flashed a bright smile, seemingly re-energised despite having spent the entire game on court. Zhangjing could only return a weak smile with the hope that it didn’t look too forced. 

 

Yanjun managed to make one of the two throws, the crowd going wild as the cheers for their school’s team grew even louder - yet Zhangjing couldn’t stop his gaze from anxiously darting between the scoreboard and the court. And as the opposing team scored a basket, the atmosphere of the stadium seemed to heighten even further, as the score was now 77 to 78. If their school team was to win, they’d have to make one more basket. There were 13 seconds left.

 

Zhangjing’s eyes were locked on Yanjun as he dribbled the ball up the court, hair slicked back from the sweat, breaths coming out in ragged and uneven pants. He watched as Yanjun approached the defence at the three-point line and faked a pass to Wenjun to the left, the defender shifting slightly, falling for the false move. He watched as Yanjun steadied himself and jumped up, the ball gracefully leaving his fingertips, arching through the air, circling around the hoop before finally, falling in. 

 

Yanjun had scored the winning goal.

 

As the crowd around him erupted in cheers and screams, Zhangjing could only clap along, feeling a slight numbness. The energy of the crowd began to wear him out, and so he decided to exit the stadium early, not bothering to notify Chaoze - who was absorbed in the celebrations - before he left. 

 

Stepping into the cool air, Zhangjing leaned his arms on the metal bar of the balcony behind the stadium. It was approaching 6 in the evening, and the sun was beginning to set in the distance, painting the sky a soft mix of pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. The area was rather secluded, with everyone most likely celebrating their victory and heading through the front entrance to the carpark. Here, Zhangjing could properly lose himself in his thoughts. 

 

“If we win I’ll go to the team dinner, but if we lose I’ll hang out with you.”

 

Yanjun’s words echoed in his head again, and Zhangjing felt … frustrated. Why was he so affected by what Yanjun had told him? As a friend, he should be hoping for Yanjun’s win, of course, so why did he feel his chest tighten as Yanjun sank that final goal in the game? Yanjun’s flirty attitude lately had given him hope that his feelings weren’t simply one-sided, but a part of him wished that he would purposely lose in order to spend time with Zhangjing, which sounded absolutely ridiculous now that he thought about it. 

 

Before he was given time to find answers to any of his questions, Zhangjing heard the creaking sound of the door opening behind him before a warm presence made its way beside him, leaning on the metal bar, their shoulders touching. Turning to face the figure beside him, Zhangjing was surprised to find that it was Lin Yanjun. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have to go to your celebratory dinner?”, he questioned, eyebrows furrowed, confusion evident on his face.

 

Yanjun shifted his gaze to him, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I came to admire the nice view… oh, and I guess the sky's pretty decent too.”

 

Zhangjing immediately felt the familiar warmth of a blush blooming on his cheeks, gradually spreading towards his ears too. He suppressed a smile and tore his eyes off Yanjun as he faced forwards once again. “You should get going soon though, shouldn’t you?”

 

“No, actually I’m skipping it to come and talk to you."

 

From his peripheral vision Zhangjing could see Yanjun still looking at him, and felt his blush deepen as he realised the latter was staring at him with a tender smile on his face, eyes soft and genuine.

 

“Why are you staring at me?”

 

“Am I not allowed to appreciate art now?”

 

“Stop joking around!”

 

“I’m not.”

 

At the sudden serious tone, Zhangjing cautiously turned to face Yanjun, worried he made the younger annoyed. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see, but Yanjun pouting like a child was not one of them, and he couldn’t help the laughter that escaped his lips. The laughter was short-lived, however, as the younger shifted impossibly close to Zhangjing and suddenly his throat was dry, his heart threatening to burst out of his chest.

 

“Let me ask you a question, Zhangjing. What do you think of me?”

 

The sudden vague question left Zhangjing baffled. What do you think of me? _What do you think of me?_ Zhangjing’s gaze seemed to automatically shift to the ground as he let his incoherent thoughts flow from his mouth.

 

“Well, I think you’re a great basketball player and a great friend-“

 

His thoughts seemed to vanish as he felt a warm hand meet his own, slightly rough fingers gently intertwining with his own as if any harsh movements would break Zhangjing.

 

“I don’t think you fully understand what I meant by that. How about I try again? Zhangjing, what do you think about me as a boyfriend?”

 

Zhangjing’s body froze. His heartbeat was all that he could hear in the still silence of the evening, and he wondered if Yanjun could hear it as well. He looked up to meet Yanjun’s warm and soft eyes, and his breath hitched in his throat as the setting sun washed Yanjun’s skin with a golden glow, the gentle breeze laying his dark hair barely over his eyelashes. 

 

Perhaps he was ruining the moment, but Zhangjing could only choke out a squeaky, “Boyfriend?”, as he tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.

 

“I thought I had been pretty obvious with my flirting recently, but I guess it wasn’t enough”, Yanjun sheepishly smiled.

 

“I’ll say it in simple terms for you. You Zhangjing, I like you. I have for a long time now, and although I still don’t know if you feel the same way, I wanted to confess in a place that meant a lot to me. Do you remember? All those years ago, this balcony - after my first basketball game as a high school student - was where we first met. Back then I had lost my game and thought I would never become a good basketball player, but you were there to comfort me, a complete stranger. Now, we’re in the same place, but this time I’m the captain of the basketball team that won the finals."

 

Zhangjing could only stand as if glued to his spot, eyes wide in disbelief. As Yanjun gently pulled him into a hug, Zhangjing’s arms instinctively wrapped around the younger. He rested his cheek against Yanjun’s chest, and swallowed the lump in his throat as he felt the rapidly beating heart of the man before him. 

 

“So do I get an answer?”

 

“What do I think about you? I think…

 

 

 

_ I think you’re perfect.” _

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in 1hr30 starting at 12:30am and have Not read over it so please excuse any mistakes! this is also my first attempt at something thats not angst and i couldnt think of an ending uhhHH pls be kind & leave comments/criticism !!
> 
> aLSO this is actually the ending to my [au](https://twitter.com/breadforyanjun/status/988010515266863104) but i think ?? it works well enough on its own ???
> 
> come scream to me abt zhangjun and the other boys on my [twt](https://twitter.com/breadforyanjun) !!!


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